Shedding light on Beijing

Friday, June 20, 2008 | 2:06 a.m.

With the Olympic movement skipping from continent to continent and landing in faraway places, there is a natural curiosity about the host nations. Because most of us have never been to these foreign venues, we rely on the media to paint well-rounded portraits that show the beauty and the warts, the modern achievements as well as the bygone eras. In the case of Beijing, where the Summer Games begin Aug. 8, presenting balanced coverage will be a daunting task considering its rich cultural history coupled with a Communist regime that suppresses human rights.

Making matters worse is that China, in a bid to portray itself as a perfect society, has threatened to implement tough security measures so the media would have access to little other than the sporting events. China, it appears, will do whatever it can to ban potentially embarrassing coverage, including possible protests against government crackdowns at home or in Tibet.

If China follows through on its threats, it will have backed off the promise it made to the International Olympic Committee seven years ago, when it was awarded the games, that news reporters would have as much freedom in Beijing as they enjoyed in prior Olympics. The committee simply cannot allow China to break that promise, because the integrity of the Olympics is at stake.

It is bad enough, according to USA Today, that national security agencies in the United States are warning travelers to the games to protect their laptop computers and e-mail devices, lest they be compromised by Chinese intelligence agents. If China wants to be considered a respected global trading partner in the 21st century, it must shed its image as a repressive society with plenty to hide. The best place to start is at the Beijing Olympics, where the world will be watching. If China insists on placing limits on media coverage, it will have blown a huge opportunity to perform a perfect 10 on the world stage.